Despite lots of mistakes and setbacks, mainstream journalism is still an important pillar for maintaining a free society.
It’s #GivingTuesday, so you know what that means.
Yes, lots of spam emails from a lot of worthy charities asking for your resources. But, for me, it also means a chance to suggest that you can give to something which really needs your support and aid now more than ever: Quality, independent journalism.
Of course, I would love if you could donate to NPR or one of its member stations. And not just because they give me a paycheck; I believe in public media’s mission of providing free, fair, transparent and honest journalism which reflects the country we’re trying to serve and attempts to elevate voices which are marginalized or suppressed.
But these days, there are lots of journalism outfits worthy of your generosity – from champions of diversity like the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, to educational institutions like The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and loads of effective platforms for high quality journalism, like Tampa’s WUSF, Pro Publica and the factchecking website PolitiFact. (full disclosure: I’m an NABJ member, I serve on Poynter’s National Advisory Board and I have lots of friends at NPR member station WUSF, NAHJ, Pro Publica and PolitiFact. But that’s also how I know these are great platforms and institutions.)
There’s lots of cynicism — much of it deserved — about mainstream, traditional media. And, when it comes to something complicated as trying to report on today’s politics and social changes, there have been loads of mistakes made, with towering amounts of room for improvement.
What’s important to remember: It has always been this way. For as long as America has had a free press and beyond.
But, as someone who has worked in a newsroom for a major media outlets of one type or another since 1989, I can tell you – especially as regards places like NPR, Poynter and the newspaper it owns, The Tampa Bay Times – these places are stocked high with talented, dedicated journalists who are trying their best to deliver high quality reporting, analysis and investigations.
There are a growing number of forces out there trying hard to de-legitimize mainstream journalism. They’re doing it to make their brand of propaganda go down easier. They’re doing it because making people distrust important institutions lowers the bar and builds more tolerance for corruption, conflicts of interest and authoritarianism. They’re doing it because eliminating the checks and balances which come from a free press will expand their power or wealth or success. Lots of reasons. None of them good or constructive.
I saw a recent TV show where a character cynically observed: “All people want is a good story. Put it on a platform that reinforces how they see themselves, and they’ll believe anything.” These days, that feels truer than ever. But I also feel confident that there is a desire for information vetted by professionals that isn’t propaganda, pandering or disinformation presented as objective truth.
And the best way you can ensure that remains the biggest part of America’s public discourse is by seeking it out as a consumer and supporting it on this #GivingTuesday.
Here’s a link for more information on giving to NPR. And thanks for reading this far.